Isla Santa Catalina/Whale watching
Lowering its head in buff sand-colored volcanic tuff, Elephant Rock greeted us. Snorkelers trumpeted with surprise when first hitting the invigorating water, and then again with glee as a riot of fish swirled around them. The shallows were dappled with shimmering sunlight as jellies pulsated by: either the single bells of hydromedusae or the long strands of pulsating bells of the siphonophores. A bit deeper, we swam through a ballet of swirling scissortail damselfish, and peered at Panamic green morays that shyly gazed up at us, their hesitancy belying their gleaming pointy teeth. Baby fish abounded: small chubs munched algae, and blue-chin parrotfish grazed the tops of corals while fish as small as pin points traveled in clouds. Azure-flecked lobster molts washed back and forth in the surge, while their now-much-larger previous owners sheltered under rocks waiting for their new exoskeletons to harden. On land, hikers searched eagerly for the endemic rattleless rattlesnake and were lucky enough to spy one of these small, elusive creatures sheltering under a dried barrel cactus. The desert was alive with procreation, from small beetles mating to Queen butterflies engaged in courtship dances, fluttering over and around each other. The giant barrel cacti were bursting at the seams with the lush amount of water they had recently received. We smiled at their sagging sides, proof that gravity overwhelms even the best of us and wrinkles are indeed natural. It was hard to tear ourselves away from this beautiful haven, but we were in search of larger game. Elephant-sized quarry: great whales. And find them we did! Sailing out into the open waters, the wind calmed noticeably and the seas magically lay down as flat as glass, perfect whale-watching conditions. Glimpsing a hammerhead shark and gazing at the wing tips of Mobulas (small versions of manta rays) that glided smoothly just under the surface, we scanned with our binoculars for larger animals. And find them we did! The shout went out: a blue whale! Not just a blue whale, but numerous blue whales, which one to follow? We must have picked the right one, because our blue whale not only blew majestic tall spouts, it did something rarely seen with these enormous individuals: it showed its fluke! A fin whale joined the blue to make for a rare photo opportunity: a blue and a fin whale in the same frame. The ship spun slowly around and around as the call continually went up: whale at 3 o'clock, whale at 9 o'clock, whale at 12:30, whale behind the ship! Shutters snapped and feet thundered across the decks until at last many rolls of film were expired, batteries lost their power, and the sun slipped behind the mountains. It was truly the perfect ending to a wonderful trip.
Lowering its head in buff sand-colored volcanic tuff, Elephant Rock greeted us. Snorkelers trumpeted with surprise when first hitting the invigorating water, and then again with glee as a riot of fish swirled around them. The shallows were dappled with shimmering sunlight as jellies pulsated by: either the single bells of hydromedusae or the long strands of pulsating bells of the siphonophores. A bit deeper, we swam through a ballet of swirling scissortail damselfish, and peered at Panamic green morays that shyly gazed up at us, their hesitancy belying their gleaming pointy teeth. Baby fish abounded: small chubs munched algae, and blue-chin parrotfish grazed the tops of corals while fish as small as pin points traveled in clouds. Azure-flecked lobster molts washed back and forth in the surge, while their now-much-larger previous owners sheltered under rocks waiting for their new exoskeletons to harden. On land, hikers searched eagerly for the endemic rattleless rattlesnake and were lucky enough to spy one of these small, elusive creatures sheltering under a dried barrel cactus. The desert was alive with procreation, from small beetles mating to Queen butterflies engaged in courtship dances, fluttering over and around each other. The giant barrel cacti were bursting at the seams with the lush amount of water they had recently received. We smiled at their sagging sides, proof that gravity overwhelms even the best of us and wrinkles are indeed natural. It was hard to tear ourselves away from this beautiful haven, but we were in search of larger game. Elephant-sized quarry: great whales. And find them we did! Sailing out into the open waters, the wind calmed noticeably and the seas magically lay down as flat as glass, perfect whale-watching conditions. Glimpsing a hammerhead shark and gazing at the wing tips of Mobulas (small versions of manta rays) that glided smoothly just under the surface, we scanned with our binoculars for larger animals. And find them we did! The shout went out: a blue whale! Not just a blue whale, but numerous blue whales, which one to follow? We must have picked the right one, because our blue whale not only blew majestic tall spouts, it did something rarely seen with these enormous individuals: it showed its fluke! A fin whale joined the blue to make for a rare photo opportunity: a blue and a fin whale in the same frame. The ship spun slowly around and around as the call continually went up: whale at 3 o'clock, whale at 9 o'clock, whale at 12:30, whale behind the ship! Shutters snapped and feet thundered across the decks until at last many rolls of film were expired, batteries lost their power, and the sun slipped behind the mountains. It was truly the perfect ending to a wonderful trip.
